Wonderful experience - thank you Nature's Discovery! - Did we get to see and swim with a manatee? YES. Was it an incredible experience? YES. Was the tour operator awesome? YES. Was the experience it exactly what we were expecting? NO. From the pictures, descriptions and reviews, we imagined the tour would take us on a boat up river to some remote, ideal location with crystal clear water away from civilization - to where the wild things are. This is not exactly what happened. We boarded a ~20 ft pontoon boat with capacity to seat 6 and motored less than a mile from the dock into some canals surrounded by houses, boat docks and boats. We were literally just off the banks of the neighbors’ back yards. Alas, this is where 3 manatees happened to be hanging out on this particular morning in late March- dragging themselves across the mucky bottom in about 4-7 feet of water, furiously munching on grass. In fact they were going at it so hard, visibility was only a few feet because of all the sediment they stirred up. You couldn’t see a manatee until you were literally on top of them. Still, our guide Mya was great at being an in-water beacon so we knew where the manatee went when it swam out of view. We definitely were not alone, either. Multiple other tour operators with groups of up to 12 people, crowded around the few manatees that happened to be there that morning At least 6 other boats packed in a small manmade inlet but thankfully Mya and Captain Chris did their best to keep us away from the masses. Our 7am tour did not last the 3 hours as advertised. I wasn’t keeping track of time on the water but we were back at the headquarters and out of our wetsuits by 9:20. Honestly this was fine by me. Even with the wetsuit, the 72 deg water felt cold because we were encouraged to float calmly and still, moving as little as possible so as not to disturb the manatees. I just wish the our guides would have discussed with us the fact that we were heading back early. Loved the FREE photos. Our guide used a go-pro, then upload the photos upon return and sent us a link to Google Album. It was awesome getting to enjoy time with the manatees and NOT have to worry about getting good shots. All in all, this was an incredible opportunity - to see these giant, gentle beasts up close and personal in their natural habitat is something I will never forget. I liked Nature’s Discovery and would definitely recommend them. There are literally dozens of tour companies but this one is small and locally owned. One suggestion - book a semi private tour. It’s only another $10 or so per person and it gets you on a smaller boat with a max of 6 people.

Wonderful small group experience! - Evan and Jaden did a great job. We were a small group of 6 and spent 30+ min. in the water with 2 manatee. They shared great information about the manatee and their behaviors. The fee was similar to other businesses, but having a small group and free photos of the adventure was great. It was a wonderful experience and highly recommend Nature's Discovery Manatee Tours.

Great experience - Kaya & Jake were awesome. We came all the way from San Diego to see some Manatees and the experience did not disappoint! Can’t wait to come back.

Great trip - Definitely recommend! All the guides and caption are personable and make sure you have a memorable trip. This was on our daughter’s bucket list. The manatee ended up staying by our boat scratching on the rope for a long time giving lots of opportunities for pictures and to just take it in close up. The tour before us saw a mom and calf. They sounded like they enjoyed their trip as well. The best part was the smaller group and not crowded. Support local and make sure to shop and eat downtown.

A special outing: up close and personal with manatees in the wild - Had a wonderful time snorkeling with manatees thanks to Hudson and Jake. We ended up within inches of more than a dozen of them! The guys were great with our three young sons, and they were witty tour guides as well. We even saw four dolphins during the boat ride back, along with an osprey in her nest with her babies.

Amazing! - Loved our manatee snorkeling trip with Natures Discovery. The in water guides and captains were so knowledgeable of all the wildlife we encountered not just the manatees. We went at the end of March and were able to see plenty of manatees. My family consisted of age ranges 6 years old to 66 years old, it was so nice to have a small group and the guide ensured that everyone was able to see the manatees. Also, an added bonus that the use of wet suits and photos were included with our package. Definitely a once in a lifetime encounter!

Great experience! - Jake and Kaya found us a manatee right away to snorkel with and observe! We enjoyed watching her eating and living her best life!

Fun and knowledgeable tour director - Maya and Evan gave an outstanding tour. They got us immediately onto a couple manatees to view. Maya had an in-depth knowledge on manatees that she shared with us. Highly recommend this tour. No large groups which makes it much easier to view these animals. We will be back.

Thank you to Maya and the captain! - Went during February break and Maya was super awesome in guiding our group. There weren’t too many manatees during the time we went due to the water temperature, but Maya found a mother with her babies (they were a lot bigger than what we were expecting). We went around to the other local springs for a quick swim and she picked up some shells for my sister. The water is beautiful and the captain had some hot chocolate for us since it was a bit chilly out when we were heading back. I can’t recommend this experience enough.

Exciting to see the manatees up close. The captain and photo person were very nice. - An explanation on spoiling for the first time would have been helpful but other than that the experience was great